Disadvantaged pupils in London outperform those in the rest of the country after years where they lagged behind.
Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty

The extraordinary success of London’s schools, typically credited to policies such as the London Challenge and introduction of academies, is more likely due to improvements in primary schools and local leadership, according to new research.

The turnaround in the capital’s schools, where disadvantaged pupils now outperform those in the rest of the country after years where they lagged behind, has been the subject of intensive research, in the hope it can be replicated elsewhere.

Previous studies have credited initiatives such as the London Challenge, launched in 2003 by then education secretary Estelle Morris, as well as the academies programme, and Teach First, which puts top graduates into challenging schools.

Other research by Simon Burgess, an economics professor at Bristol University, has suggested the London advantage – and similar success in schools in Birmingham and Manchester – is due to the ethnic composition of pupils.

But a report published on Wednesday by the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion at the London School of Economics, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies, concludes that there is no single explanation for the turnaround. Instead, gradual improvements in primary schools since the mid-90s – including school inspection, choice and competition – have all contributed.

“Many aspects of the school environment were changing in the mid-1990s in England, with school inspections, choice and competition, all recent innovations at that point, as well as specific interventions such as literacy hour,” the report says.

“The abolition of the Inner London Education Authority in 1990 may also have accelerated London’s progress as control of education was transferred to London boroughs. The explanation for London’s success could come from a combination of these policies.”

In 2002 fewer than a quarter (22%) of children on free school meals in inner London obtained five or more A*–C grades at GCSE or their equivalent (including English and Maths). By 2013, this had risen to almost half (48%), compared with a rise from 17% to 26% among disadvantaged children outside London.

According to the study, the “London effect” for disadvantaged children began to show in the mid-90s – well before many of the high-profile policies in secondary schools previously credited with London’s success, such as the London Challenge, Teach First, and the growth of academies.

“These policies may have helped build upon London’s success, but are unlikely to have been the primary driving force,” the report concludes.

What is more likely to have been a driving force were the changes in primary schools in the 90s that resulted in better test scores at the age of 11 among poorer students, and then higher grades at GCSE.

In 1997, 47% of poorer pupils in London and elsewhere achieved the expected level in English tests at age 11. By 2008, poorer pupils in inner London were seven percentage points more likely to achieve this level (75% compared with 68% elsewhere).

One of the researchers, Jo Blanden of the University of Surrey, said: “London’s schools have become extremely good at helping poor children succeed. This is despite the incredible diversity of their pupils.

“This success is likely to lead to better jobs and more social mobility among those educated in the capital.”

She said the timing of the abolition of the Ilea, just before the so-called London advantage began to show itself, suggested a link. “Inner London boroughs took over education.

“That was roughly when the improvement started to occur. There’s something about leadership in London at that time. We don’t know, but the timing seems to fit.”

Some boroughs, such as Tower Hamlets, were particularly ambitious, said Blanden, engaging with the Bangladeshi community on education issues and focusing on data and statistics to track children’s performance.

Luke Sibieta, of the IFS, said: “London schools have become synonymous with educational success, particularly for poorer children. Our research shows these improvements are not down to a single policy or factor.

“Instead, most of the improvements reflect gradual increases in the quality of schools stretching back to the mid-1990s. London’s primary schools have become particularly successful and London’s great secondary schools can then build on this success.”

Commenting on the report, Kevin Courtney, deputy general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: “No one factor can be credited for the success of London’s schools as measured by test and examination data.

“However, it is clear that the London Challenge played a significant role in embedding the success that London’s schools have been able to sustain since the start of the Challenge programme in 2003.”